


It's Just a Magic Trick

by wordmason



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-16
Updated: 2017-11-16
Packaged: 2019-02-03 07:43:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12744006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wordmason/pseuds/wordmason
Summary: You can't fool me again, brother.





	It's Just a Magic Trick

A flash of scorching red. A darker, grittier shade of the hue that stained the streets of New York during Loki’s first tantrum there. This time, however, Thor is not on Earth. And this time, Loki is not fighting on the other side.

Thor watches it inch closer and closer to him, one hand clenched to rein in the trauma ripping through his body, the other silently crying out to mjolnir. A tiny blip of a moment of his long life, drawn-out to consume a thousand more moments. Perhaps because, he knows, it would take all of him to stop it from burning the people behind him.

Then it’s all a haze, the moment turning out to be ephemeral after all.

Loki steps in from Hel knows where. Fiery green crashing against the raging red. Thor is thrown away, not even a chance to watch his brother fight.

And Loki is on the ground. As is the foe. The battle is cut short. The body count, too long.

And then they tell Thor, “Loki is no more.”

Thor laughs, a worn-out roar echoing through the empty ranks, as he looks over Loki’s form in the makeshift infirmary.

“Brother, enough with this deceit. People are getting worried.”, he whispers in Loki’s ear when it’s just the two of them, won’t admit, not even to himself, that he is the one getting worried.

They go home, and Loki is taken to Eir.

And she tells Thor, “Loki is no more.”

Thor laughs, feebler now, and shakes his head, says, “It’s Loki. He’s only jesting. He does this every time.”

Maybe he’s right. But even if he is, this body is lifeless and cannot be his own. It surely will rot if left to the elements.

So there’s a cremation, a farewell befitting a prince, a goodbye worthy of a hero. Thor performs his duty, as a brother, and as the king, even as he thinks, “I hope this delights you, brother. These people really think you’re gone.”

And life catches up with them all, even Thor. He goes about his duties, silently grumbling about his jerk of a brother and his stupid prank, “It’s an illusion, a magic trick.” he insists.

So Loki’s room is kept in perfect condition, precisely the way he likes it. Every morning, his fruit bowl is filled to the brim with only the freshest fruits. His clothing and armor, cleaned and maintained. His private library, looked after. His steed, cared for.

Asgard finds an honorable king in Thor. Under his rule, they grow back to prosperity, ever resilient in the face of destruction. The son of Odin carries the legacy of his father, of his family, to new heights.

Thor trains harder, not as a king, but as the warrior he is. He fights hard, when he must. Saves those in need. He’s brighter and more brilliant than he’s ever been. 

But if you look closely, you would see, that Thor isn’t who he once used to be.

On some nights, there’s a lone figure that haunts the royal chambers of the palace. The guards that keep watch whisper among themselves, about their king and his actions. Thor pays no heed to them.

He goes, sometimes, to Queen Frigga’s garden, hopes to find someone familiar tending to her beloved flowers. Sometimes, he walks to the isolated balcony, hopes to join someone in looking out to Asgard. He visits the library more often, to appease a newfound craving for books.

Even when he’s drunk beyond the rim, he’s somehow still subdued. And he drinks more often and far too much, his closest friends tasking themselves to haul him back to sanity. Until Thor realizes he can’t let Loki win, and he gives up drink entirely. 

When Thor sees a book he thinks Loki might like, he buys it for him. Every now and then, Thor sees a hint of wispy emerald in the radiant gold of the palace, turns around to catch Loki in his hiding, fails, and curses himself for being too slow. Every meal of every day, there’s an empty seat at the royal dining table, and the food before it is left untouched. Because, “he will come back when he’s bored of his game.”

Some say it is the curse of the throne, the burden of power, the weight of responsibility bearing down on his shoulders. Others opine that it is merely age that is chipping away at him, as it does to us all. A few, hardly a handful, know that it is something much more sinister.

Because Thor never stops waiting for Loki to pop out of thin air.

Thinks that his brother is out there, somewhere, planning his next magic trick.

Never stops preparing for the day a message will arrive, that says, Loki’s mischief is troubling someone, and they need Thor to go and capture him.

Impatiently looks forward to dragging his brother home by the ear. 

It is quite the tale, the one time Thor didn’t fall for Loki’s lies, every bit worth the wait for Loki to come home. 

It would make an amusing story, really. Every year, during the annual Asgardian ball, they would laugh at it over drinks. Over bonfires in foreign realms, each would share their own version of what happened, Thor saying he never once believed the lie, Loki asserting that he did. It would be worth the wait.

Only, this time, Loki isn’t coming home.

**Author's Note:**

> My first work here. Hope it was worth the read. Do leave a comment.
> 
> \- wordmason


End file.
